STANFORD, Calif. -
Stanford's 10th President John Hennessy and Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics Bernard Muir announced today an agreement for the long-term contract extension of Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw with Stanford Athletics and Stanford University.

"David Shaw has led the football program to great success," said Hennessy. "He embodies the goal we have for our scholar-athletes--success in the classroom and on the field. We are pleased that he will lead our football program for years to come."

"David has demonstrated great success as a leader within the Stanford community and as a mentor to scholar-athletes who wear the Cardinal uniform," said Muir. "This agreement provides added stability and reassurance that David will be at the helm to secure our football program's long-term sustained success."Shaw is in his second year as Stanford Football's head coach, hired Jan. 13, 2011. He served the previous four years as the Cardinal's offensive coordinator.

"My family and I would like to thank Athletic Director Bernard Muir for being very proactive throughout this process," said Shaw. "I am looking forward to seeing our athletic department continue to grow under his leadership.

"I would also like to thank President John Hennessy and Provost John Etchemendy for providing the support and resources necessary to build and maintain one of the top football programs in the country here at Stanford University.

"I feel blessed to work every day with an outstanding staff and coach the best group of young men in America, and I am excited to lead the Stanford Football program for many years to come."

Under Shaw's leadership, the Cardinal has enjoyed unprecedented success.

Stanford is one of just four teams in the nation from BCS conferences to compile 34 or more wins over the last three seasons along with Oregon (35), LSU (34) and Alabama (34). The Cardinal's .872 winning percentage since 2010 is tied for third-best among FBS teams during that stretch.

Stanford's three straight 11-win seasons are unprecedented in school history. Stanford had never won 11 games prior to 2010 and had reached 10 wins only three times previously (1926, 1942 and 1992).

Shaw guided the 11-2 Cardinal this season to its first Pac-12 Championship in 13 years and a berth in the 99th Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO. This marks the third consecutive BCS bowl for Stanford, a feat claimed by just seven other schools. On the heels of the 2012 Fiesta Bowl and 2011 Orange Bowl, the Cardinal have achieved the rare distinction of playing in three different BCS bowls in three straight years, matched only Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Oregon in the Bowl Championship Series era of college football.

This is the unprecedented fourth straight year for Stanford to play in a bowl game, starting with the New Year's Eve 2009 Brut Sun Bowl. The last time Stanford won eight games in four consecutive seasons came under the guidance of Glenn "Pop" Warner in 1926-30.

The Cardinal ranked No. 6 in the final BCS standings this season, following back-to-back No. 4 final rankings in 2010 and 2011.

The 2012 Stanford season has seen particularly remarkable success under Shaw's direction. The Cardinal was well known for losing once-in-a-generation quarterback Jim Harbaugh accepted the same position with the San Francisco 49ers.

Shaw reloaded and launched the Cardinal through a glass ceiling, winning the 2012 Pac-12 Championship while playing against a consensus top-five schedule in the country as measured by the BCS computers (including Jeff Sagarin's No. 1 strength of schedule). Stanford leads the nation this season with five wins against ranked opponents, the lowest coming against the 17th-ranked team in the country.

For the first time in school history, Shaw's Cardinal defeated the Associated Press' No. 1 and No. 2 teams - at Oregon on Nov. 17 and vs. USC on Sept. 15, respectively. No other school has matched that triumph in the regular season since Miami in 2000.
Stanford has been led this season by a defense that ranks first in the FBS with a school-record 56 sacks, while also leading the nation with 120 tackles for loss and ranking third in rushing defense (87.69 yards/game).

The story of Stanford's offense this year has been equally extraordinary, as Shaw changed his starting quarterback in the middle of an historically successful season. After senior Josh Nunes started the first nine games (7-2), sophomore Kevin Hogan made his starting debut on Nov. 10 vs. 13th-ranked Oregon State. The Cardinal had a four-game conference winning streak and stood one game back in the Pac-12 North standings, set to begin its most difficult run of the schedule.

Hogan is 4-0 in four starts against four ranked opponents, including the historic win at No. 1 Oregon in his first career road start. He was named the MVP of the 2012 Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Under Shaw's tutelage, both Nunes and Hogan this season began 3-0 as Stanford's starting signal caller, a mark which had not been accomplished by any Cardinal quarterback since Steve Stenstrom in 1991.

Shaw each of the last two seasons has been voted by his peers as the Pac-12 Coach of the Year. He was named a finalist this year for both the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. Shaw last year was honored nationally as the Male Coach of the Year by the Black Coaches & Administrators, as well as the Regional Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

A four-year letterwinner at Stanford from 1991-94 as a wide receiver, Shaw was a member of Stanford's 1991 Aloha Bowl team coached by Dennis Green that finished the season with an 8-4 mark and was the third-highest scoring team in school history. He was also on the Cardinal's Blockbuster Bowl-winning squad coached by Bill Walsh that had a 10-3 overall mark and final No. 9 ranking in 1992. Shaw finished his Stanford career with 57 catches for 664 yards and five touchdowns.

He also competed in a varsity track meet and a varsity basketball game while at Stanford before graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in sociology.

Born in San Diego, Calif., David and his wife Kori are the parents of three children - Keegan, Carter and Gavin.